"Beyond the gorgeous colors, when viewed close up and larger than life, who knew parakeets had such human expressions. Bright feathered crests all puffed up like pompadours, these colorful birds suddenly transform into society matrons or the rich uncle you can't stand but whose social tortures you endure lest they take you out of their will."

The oldest surviving example of bird taxidermy is believed to be Frances Stuarts' (the Duchess of Richmond and Lennox) African Grey Parrot, which can still be seen in Westminster Abbey, London. The bird died soon after its mistress in 1702 and X-rays show that it was preserved in a rather crude manner, which makes the parrot's survival all these years even more remarkable.

In the Westminster Abbey Museum is a life size (5 feet 8 inches) wax effigy of Frances Teresa (Stuart), Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, with her pet African grey parrot on a stand beside her (which is the oldest stuffed bird in the country).